Means for removing or unloading blocks, etc.



Oct. 19, 1954 F. .1. STRAUB MEANS FOR REMOVING OR UNLOADING BLOCKS, ETC

Filed Feb. 11, 1952 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 FIG.

11v vs, TOR,

Plunger Operating Mechanism.

FIG. 7

U M w J 4 SJ, mlw N A R F 3w FIG. 8

Arm/MEX Oct. 19, 1954 'F. J. STR'AUB MEANS FOR REMOVING OR UNLOADING BLOCKS, ETC

3 Sheets-Sheet 2- Filed Feb. 11, 1952 5 G El INVENTOR, FRANCIS J. sTfiAua ATTORNEY.

Oct. 19, 1954 F. J. STRAUB 2,692,058

MEANS FOR REMOVING OR UNLOADING BLOCKS, ETC

Filed Feb. 11, 1952 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 FIG. l0

FRANCIS J. STRAUB,

ATTORNEY.

INVENTOR) Patented Oct. 19, 1954 OFFICE S FOR REMOVING R UNLOADING BLOCKS, ETC.

Francis J; Straub, New Kensington, P'a. Application February 11, 1952, Serial No. 270,936

'7 Claims. 1r

This invention relates to: a methodand means for removing. or unloading blocks, bricks: or the like, usually in cured condition, from racks in a more expeditious manner so that the operation may be carried out smoothly at. least twice as fast as at present with half the men and. thus without undue delays, and further to such a method and means whereby the racks may be unloaded in a mann'er'much safer to the workmen in that the blocks may be exposed. to: the maximum extent for manual engagement and thus without offering hazards especially from above to free movement of the arms: and: hands ofthe workmen.

It is especially aimed to provide a means andmethod whereby the blocks or bricks may be removed from the standard or equivalent racks, onto which they are delivered and retained while cured, in a single movement of a. plunger or the equivalent.

Especially it is an object of the invention to provide in the procedure mentioned, means whereby the usual magnetically handled pallets will not be shoved or pushed oil of therack with the blocks incidental to the unloading of the blocks from the racks, and regardless of the capacity of the racks, even up tothose which accommodate seventy-two blocks and even more under existing procedure.

Another object is to provide a method and meanswhereby the blocks or bricksmay be pushed on to shelves or the like: following which the shelves may be displaced one relatively to another so thatthe blocksor'bricks thereon will be fully exposed especially from above, to the end that they may be better manually or by power means engaged and removed, the shelf; from which the blocks or bricks are being removed thus being free of any shelf. or shelves above the same or in the way of the hands and arm. of the workmen removing a recognized hazard. to expeditious operation, and one which frequently endangers the arms. and hands.

It is also an object to provide a construction and method wherein the racks may be. maintained either by a truck or independently thereof against tipping or any undesired movement incidental to the unloading of the blocks therefrom on to the shelves, and especially to provide means for latching the rack to a truck which carries pushing mechanism or to a stationary means or any equivalent.

More specific objects and advantages will become apparent from consideration of the description following, taken in connection with the ac- 2. companying drawings, illustrating an operative embodiment. In said drawings:

Fig. 1 is a view side elevation illustrating the method and one form. of the. apparatus for carrying out the same;

Fig. 2 is. a plan view of the apparatus shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectionalview taken approximately on. the line 3-3 of Fig.2;-

Fig. 4 is an enlarged elevation illustrating one form of. means to retain the pallets on the. racks during. the pushing of the blocks or bricks therefrom;

Fig. 5- is a horizontal section. taken on. line 55' of Fig. 4;.

Fig. 6 is a detail. perspective of the mounting. parts for one of the rotatable shelves Fig. '77 is a plan view illustrating an abutment or retainer for the pallets'for use in. unloading;

Fig. 8 is a side elevation of the abutment or retainer of Fig. 7;

Fig. 9 is a plan view of a modified form of shelf onto which the blocksmay be pushed from the racks; and

Fig. 10 is a vertical section taken. vertically and longitudinally on line I'D-I50 through the form of Fig. 9'. 7

Referring specifically to the drawings, A represents a rack of the type which removably' supports sheet iron. pallets C which in. turn support blocks or bricks B'. Said pallets C While posi' tioned in a block or brick press (not shown) have the blocks or bricks B deposited. thereon, and the pallets C with the blocks or bricks thereon are removed from the press. and deposited; in. the

rack A. RackA together with the pallets, blocks or bricks as a unit is portable andusually engaged and carried. by a self-propelled truck and positioned within a. curing. oven, and' after curing. of. the blocks and still as" such. unit carried by said truck to the yard or equivalent where the blocks or bricks are removed from the racks. and arranged" in piles. Asshown, such rack. A consists of a skeletonized metallic. structure and comprises three channel-irons l0 at each side: there'- of to which are welded. or otherwise fastened angle-irons ll forming ledges for said pallets C. It will be realized that the" racks are" of usual skeleton form so as to be open at the ends: and sides in order that the pallets may be removed and replaced, in' practice usually by means of conventional magneticlifting apparatus: The parts of the rack aresuitably' secured together and braced as" by" meansof" the barsor'angle's' I 3;

Said rack A for instance is engageable by conventional forks on a self-propelled truck or the equivalent (not shown) which engage beneath the bars H3 or other suitable parts and move the rack and blocks as a unit to the yard. At the yard, said blocks B all at one and the same time are pushed onto shelves such as Hi. The pushing of the blocks may be effected by any suitable mechanism, and forlinstance as shown, by a series of plungers l5, one above the other and mounted on a stationary means or carried by a truck or other self-propelled vehicle [6, such plungers l5 being rigid at the front of the truck or having a movement independently of the movement of the truck under control of the transmission of the truck or otherwise. As shown in Fig. 2, there is a plunger for each row of pallets C, and correspondingly there is one shelf It for each row of pallets C.

While the plungers I5 may be carried by and operated from a truck as described, it is to be understood that this is but one means of accomplishing the end in view since the plungers l5 may be arranged for hand operation by means of cam mechanism, a rack and gearing or may be reciprocated through any suitable source of power. The shelves l4 may be of various types, and as shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 6 may be rotatable shelves carried by a post H, which may be stationary or capable of being moved from place to place and rigidly anchored in the ground or otherwise. On the post ii the shelves M are rotatably mounted, having openings surrounded by dependin collars or journals l8 which are supported and rotate directly on collars is rigidly fastened to said post H. Said shelves as shown in Fig. 3 are adapted to be moved or swung from the position shown in full lines at the left to the position shown in full lines to the right. The movement of such shelves is individual and independently of each other so that after the blocks or bricks are shoved or pushed onto the shelves, any shelf independently of the others may be moved from full line position at the left in Fig. 3 to the full line position at the right in Fig. 3, or to an intermediate position wherein the blocks will be exposed and may be engaged manually by the workman or 'with'power means without the dangerous hazard of having in the path of movement of the hands, arms, or working members of the body. One way of latching the shelves [4 in the position at the left in Fig. 3 is by having suitably located notches 20 in the collars l8 engage lugs 2i on the collars [9. It will be clear that the shelves 14 may be both rotated and freely slid or raised on the shaft H to facilitate the manipulation of the shelves.

Accordin to the present invention, means are provided whereby the pallets will be retained in the racks, that is against sliding displacement along the ledges or angles ll incidental to the pushing or removal of the blocks. Such means may be retainers or stops 22 (Figs. 4 and 5) welded to adjacent parts such as the channels Ill,

such retainers or stops between the channels being disposed in approximately the same plane as the pallets or at least not extending above the pallets.

' It is to be u derstood that the pallets C with blocks or bricks B thereon are removed from the block machine or press. In accordance with my method, the blocks or, bricks are removed end foremost from the pallets so that in the event bonds occur between the plastic of the blocks or another shelf or shelves 1 the rack A,

bricks and the pallets, or otherwise, any chipping of the blocks or bricks will be at the ends thereof rather than at the sides, which would be seen in a wall constructed of the blocks or bricks. To attain this end of pushing off the blocks from the pallets without also pushing the pallets from the said stops or retainers 22 have been provided, it being clear that with the parts in operative position as shown in the drawings that while pushing of the blocks off of the pallets, said pallets Will be held against movement relative thereto by abutting the racks at the stops or retainers 22. It is also desirable to hold the rack A against danger of tipping or overturning incidental to removal of the blocks or bricks, and to this end latches 23 have been provided. These latches are shown as of a type to be manually gripped and operated and may be of any desired number. As shown, a latch 23 is adapted to 00- act at a notch 24 with flanges of end channels Ill. The latches 23 are pivoted as by means of vertical pins 25 to arms l2 extending rigidly from a frame or guide 26 against which the rack A is placed or positioned prior to the unloading of the blocks or bricks therefrom. A contractile coil spring 21 is preferably attached at one end of each arm l2 and at the other end to a latch 23 in order to hold them in rack-securing position. Said frame 26 may be a part of and carried by the truck and for example be the frame of the operating mechanism for plunger 15.

1 As intimated, the racks A loaded with blocks B and their pallets C may be held against tipping over and the pallets C held against sliding from i the pallets upon unloading by pushing the blocks off of the pallets, by a means independent of the truck or any pushin mechanism. This result is suggested in Figs. 7 and 8 and is accomplished without using the retainers 22. In these figures the rack A loaded with pallets C and blocks B is moved into abutment against upright angles D and an intermediate upright plate E, such angles and plate being anchored in the ground or otherwise. Said angles and plate are so disposed as is clear from Fig. 9, that they slightly extend across and abut the ends of the pallets C in order that as the blocks are pushed off of the pallets as by plungers l5 or any equivalent, the pallets cannot slide but the blocks will slide off of the pallets and between said angles D and plate E onto shelves M or any equivalent located in receiving relation thereto.

Various other changes may be resorted to provided they fall within the spirit and scope of the invention, and for instance I may use different types of shelving in lieu of the unit having the rotatable shelves It. For instance, I may employ a type of slidable shelf as in Figs. 9 and 10. In this modified form of shelving there are slidable shelves 30 corresponding in number and arrangement to the shelves l4. Shelves 38 are slidable along angles or other ledges at 31 which are secured together in any suitable manner by an angle framework generally designated 32, and which includes upright parts 33 suitably anchored in the ground or otherwise held stationary. It will be seen that the shelves 3i) are in operative position at the left in Figs. 9 and 10 to receive the blocks and that such shelves are adapted for manual engagement and individual movement to the right as shown by the dotted position of one of the shelves in Fig. 10 so that the blocks or bricksthereon. will be exposed and may be removed by the workman without the hazards pointed out to his person.

It is to be understood that the terms block and brick have been used interchangeably or synonomously as the invention is equally applicable to the handling of ordinary brick, cinder building blocks, or even other analogous articles.

I claim as my invention:

1. In combination with a portable rack means having a brick-supporting pallet thereon, plunger apparatus operable to remove bricks from said pallet, means operable in response to relative positioning of said plunger apparatus, and portable rack means to maintain the latter in position against relative movement with respect to the plunger apparaus in the direction of and during the removal of bricks by the latter.

2. The combination of claim 1 having shelf apparatus to receive the bricks from the rack means.

3. The combination of claim 1 wherein one of said means includes structure to prevent removal of the pallet from the rack means during said removal of the bricks.

4. The combination of claim 1 wherein said rack means includes a stop member thereon disposed out of the path of removal of bricks and projecting into the path of removal of the pallet.

5. The combination of claim 1 including relatively stationary uprights, said uprights being of a height extending above the base of the pallet, and the space between said uprights being less than the width of the pallet.

6. In combination with a portable rack means having a brick-supporting pallet slidably disposed thereon, a plunger means operable to push bricks from said pallet, shelf apparatus to receive the bricks pushed from said rack means, latch mechanism carried by one of said means having parts to hold the rack means positioned against the plunger means to maintain the rack structure in position against relative movement with respect to the plunger means in the direction away from the latter during the removal of bricks by the plunger means, and one of said parts being movable so that the rack means may be engaged and released with respect to the plunger means.

7. The combination of claim 6 wherein said rack means includes a stop member to prevent removal of the pallet from the rack means during said removal of the bricks.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name 1 Date 1,556,438 Hanson et a1 Oct. 6, 1925 1,759,005 Fuller May 20, 1930 2,256,454 Bomar Sept. 16, 1941 2,264,125 Wolf Nov. 25, 1941 2,421,128 Pride May 27, 1947 

